The defense is legitimately good, ranking third in the FBS in yards allowed per play. The NFL Draft doesn't usually give us very many surprises when it comes to punting, but it came through with two big surprises on Saturday. Gennaro Filice provides draft grades for each NFC South team. The question mark on him will be whether he has the athleticism and the speed to hold up against quick, interior rushers in the NFL, said Brugler. However, his pass-blocking steadily improved throughout the final ten games of the season, and he finished with a. Leodalis De Vries, the next international star for Padres? But whats the legacy of the blockbuster album? No other punter. All four players have the talent to compete and excel at the next level. The San Diego State product has shot up draft boards (relatively) thanks to a season in which he set an NCAA record by averaging 51.19 yards per punt, eclipsing the record set by Texas. San Diego State punter Matt Araiza is no ordinary prospect in the 2022 NFL Draft. Yet, Araiza went and nailed an 86-yard punt and an 81-yarder in consecutive games against San Jose State and Air Force. , given to the best punter in college football. According to PFF, Araiza had the eighth-lowest kickoff return percentage in the country at less than 15%. February 28, 2023 6:16 pm SI NFL Draft Bible. Will Aidan Hutchinson supercharge the Lions' pass rush? Did the talent-poor Falcons get the roster infusion they needed? For his career, Araiza averaged 51.1 yards per punt. The Jets and Giants put on quite a show, while a couple of marquee teams raised eyebrows. The former MVP has adapted and evolved to become an excellent conductor of Phillys offense. In reality, he is an offensive weapon, the kind that ra-ra football coaches . Three juniors, all local San Diego kids, were named to the Associated Press All-American Teams. Brugler predicts Bellinger will be the second San Diego State player drafted (after Cameron Thomas). Araizas leg strength is remarkable; however, he will need to cut down on the power in certain instances to further achieve NFL success. This is understood by several NFL football squads, which is why he has become a hot item on many teams big boards, chiefly the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots. He had an excellent showing in the combine, punting with stunning accuracy before impressing attendees with his sprinting. Jalen Carter Named Subject of Arrest Warrant After Fatal Crash That Killed Georgia Teammate, Seattle Seahawks 2023 NFL Draft Prospects To Target at the NFL Combine Include Brian Branch, Nolan Smith, 2023 NFL Draft Big Board: Top 25 Prospects Heading Into NFL Combine Include Jalen Carter, Brian Branch, and Bijan Robinson, Boston Colleges Jaiden Woodbey Is Less Tweener, More Swiss Army Knife. + Show More. Araiza served as SDSU's placekicker while he was in college, so he's never had to hold. Although there's some concern that Araiza's booming punts could lead to him outkicking his coverage, San Diego State seemed to do just fine covering his punts. Welcome to Buffalo, @Matt_Araiza! Big, big leg. Kittle trains in the offseason in Nashville, Tennessee, and will work SDSUs tight end there. This last selection is commonly referred to as, List of 1990s Hall of Fame Inductee's at profootballhof.com, List of 2000s Hall of Fame Inductee's at profootballhof.com, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1979_NFL_Draft&oldid=1142347380, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 22:29. UC San Diego and San Diego State alumni living in Americas Finest City. The only other times it happened came in 1993 and 2007. On Wednesday, Georgia police announced a warrant for Carter's arrest on suspicion of reckless driving and racing. Matt Araiza, the San Diego State punter, was one of the most exciting players in all of college football last season, booming kick after kick in a way the sport had never seen before. . I know how I did at the Pro Day. Nora and Steven break down the most intriguing, silly, and enlightening comments coming out of Indianapolis, Plus, theres talk of the rise of Greef Karga, along with what could become of Bo-Katan and the Mandalorian people, The guys close the show with highlights from NXT and a preview of tonights AEW go-home Dynamite, "The Apostate" is designed to reorient the audience after a lengthy layoff, but the familiar formula ensures we want to keep taking the trip, Meg and Spanners also discuss Aston Martins positive press focusing on Fernando Alonso and touch on Ferraris consistent performance. Gennaro Filice provides draft grades for each NFC East team. Of the 27 punters drafted in the past 15 seasons, just six of these players have made a Pro Bowl these six punters only made one Pro Bowl each. Its a loaded defensive end class, Brugler said. All Rights Reserved. Also, a higher average yards per punt does not always mean better sometimes you want to directionally punt, so this can be misleading. Certainly, a benefit for Araiza is his ability to also excel at kickoffs and handle place-kicking duties if necessary, providing more reason to use a middle-round pick on the Ray Guy Award winner. That was a fun year, and also the year I broke the record for field goals. Above is a plot of the average. All four players have the talent to compete and excel at the next level. Then theres his NFL potential: Just how high will Araiza be drafted? But how have other drafted punters panned out in the NFL? Chicago took offensive tackle Zach Thomas, Camerons brother, in the sixth round. Its a loaded defensive end class, Brugler said. Whats legacy, anyway? That was somewhat of a goal. Of Araiza's 79 punts, 37 went for at least 50 yards; 17 went for 60 yards or more; six went at least 70 yards; and two went for 80-plus yards (no other punter had two punts of 80 yards). Pat McAfee later called the Big Punt a Piss Missile, which is just about the highest honor a punter can receive. The dude has an absolute howitzer for a left leg, one that booted the ball 90 yards in the effing air on Saturday night in Hawaii. In 2020, he dialed in 71.4%, and in 2021, he achieved 64.3%. He spends the evenings with his award-winning legs cast in a recovery boot. I remember talking to my friends and family about it really early on, How cool would it be to even just be a finalist? It was a cool progression to make, visualizing it in the beginning and then it becoming a reality was an honor.. But, Araiza isnt an ordinary punter. Thomas, a redshirt junior who earned his degree this December, accepted an invite to play in the Senior Bowl and will look to showcase his top-tier talent to NFL teams. Araiza also boomed an 86-yard punt last season, which was the longest in college football. But, thats not all Araiza can do. San Diego State hosts Fresno State on Saturday night. You can almost hear return men yelling Oh crap! as the balls sail over their heads. As for being the third punter drafted? In the case that his placekicks were returned, which was the exception and not the rule (84.93% touchback rate in 2021), he had an uncanny knack for then taking down the receiver, thanks in part to his high school track skills. Meet Matt Araiza, San Diego State punter who could be among the highest-drafted punters of all time, NFL Draft prospects 2022: Updated big board of top 150 players, rankings by position. You won't want to miss a moment of the 2022 season! Araiza is the third punter in school history to be drafted, joining Mike Saxon (Detroit, 11th round, 1984) and Wayne Ross (Washington, 12th round, 1988). His big leg led him to being named the 2021 Ray Guy Award (nation's top punter) winner and a first-team AP All-American. Though the Bills are hardly known for punting, on the rare occasions they do, Araiza will be expected to tip the field and also be a weapon on kickoffs (he had 62 touchbacks in 73 kickoffs). By submitting your email, you agree to our. 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Smith on Skip and Kaepernick, Martin Luther King Jr., the Revolutionary With Dr. Peniel Joseph. The Aztecs are 7-0 and ranked 21st in the AP poll, with two wins over Pac-12 opponents. San Diego State punter Matt Araiza is no ordinary prospect in the 2022 NFL Draft. released on November 30, 2021, Brugler slotted Thomas to the Dallas Cowboys with the 25th pick of the first round, adding, Thomas has been nearly unblockable this season for the Aztecs, currently leading college football with 72 pressures., Thomas won the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year afte. Neutral Media. In fact, the San Diego State punter and placekicker had his eye on playing in his school's brand-new stadium next season while going for a master's degree. Will Deadly January Car Accident Tank Jalen Carters Draft Stock? When it comes to punters, the bigger surprise is that the Buccaneers took Camarda over Araiza. According to PFF, Dunkle registered a 38.0 pass-blocking grade and committed two penalties against Arizona and a 55.6 grade against Utah the following week on 18 pass opportunities in each game. They attend expensive camps and begin perfecting their form. It was something that Im going to be forever grateful for, and I hope to have that same effect on the next fan base, wherever I go. He. Cornerback Tayler Hawkins accepted an invite to the Hula Bowl, which takes place on January 15 in Orlando, FL. Brugler predicts Bellinger will be the second San Diego State player drafted (after Cameron Thomas). Its been huge to have that impact on my home town as well. Achieving a historic 12-win season and earning a spot in the final College Football Playoff Top 25 Rankings brought many advantages for the San Diego State Aztecs. He now holds the record for single-season punt average, with 51.19 yards per punt. Araizas performances have been record-setting. Dan Hanzus takes stock of the NFL hierarchy with his post-draft Power Rankings. Anger averaged 44.2 yards per punt as a senior at Cal; Araiza is outpacing that mark by almost 10 yards per punt. The Ray Guy Award winner and unanimous First-Team All-American declared for the NFL Draft last week with hopes of becoming the next punter drafted in the NFL. As Matt Araiza prepares to break positional norms in the 2022 NFL Draft class, his talents as a punter can be traced back to his roots at Rancho Bernardo High in San Diego. I dont want it to be in the same corner of the country my whole life. Bellinger recently signed with JB Sports, Inc., the same agency that represents, Dunkle declared for the NFL Draft after finishing the season with a. , the highest by an offensive lineman since Pro Football Focus (PFF) began tracking the metric. More than 300 prospects for the . Are the Bears failing Justin Fields? I dont think Ive ever seen a ball travel like that before.. So, what's next for this group -- in 2022 and beyond? According to PFF, Dunkle registered a 38.0 pass-blocking grade and committed two penalties against Arizona and a 55.6 grade against Utah the following week on 18 pass opportunities in each game. By earning the moniker Punt God, attracting the attention of Pat McAfee, and winning the Ray Guy Award, Araiza has elevated punting to national attention while putting himself in the NFL shop window. NFL Draft. He was named to several First and Second All-American Teams by various national media outlets. In the fourth round, Baltimore selected Penn State Punter Jordan Stout with the 130th overall pick. The only two FBS teams that gave him offers were San Diego State and UMass. I knew with punting, I was only a couple of adjustments away from what I did this last year. San Diego State Aztecs punter Matt Araiza has been the talk of the college football universe this season, with his ridiculous distance and precision playing a major role in San Diego State's victories. NFL Draft Profile: Rhys Byrns, Punter, Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns - Football Alliance. Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro-Bowl at any time in their career. Chad Reuter ranks his favorite picks in each round. An all-around special teams contributor, the 2021 unanimous All-American had kickoff duties for San Diego State. When Araiza was younger, his brother took him out to a local field with some footballs and let him kick away. Several other three-round mock drafts have slotted Thomas fro, m the first round to not listed. I wonder whether at some point they will simply stand farther back. Some games you get a bunch of short field goals, he says. But when the ball came off of his foot in the thin Rocky Mountain air of Colorado Springs, the San Diego State punter surprised even himself. 130) and Georgia's Jake Camarda to the Buccaneers (fourth round, No. Im excited to go to a winning team, Super Bowl favorites, that will be awesome, Ariaza said by phone after the draft. We have an 86 yard punt EIGHTY SIX (CC @RKalland) pic.twitter.com/KIi5d3VTTO. Angers cumulative yard per punt average in four years at California was 43.5, including a high of 45.6 in his junior season. And remember, the Big Punt wasnt even Araizas longest punt of the year. Those two picks were also somewhat surprising, if only because you almost never see two punters get taken that early With Stout going at 130th overall and Camarda going three picks later, this year marked just the third time since 1993 that two punters were taken before the end of the fourth round. Although it is important to recognize that some of these punters have not had as many seasons as others theyve competed against, some believe a player like Araiza should be one of the top NFL punters immediately upon entering the league. His older brother has long thought so. However, it was there that the power of his left leg was harnessed with a view to a long-term career goal. Through the first 180 picks, there were more punters selected (3) than were taken in the entire 2021 draft combined (The Steelers selection of Pressley Harvin was the only punter pick last year). Zac Al-Khateeb is a content producer for The Sporting News. He now holds the NCAA records for punting average in a season (51.19), punts over 50 yards (39), and punts over 60 yards (18). That motor really helps him frequently make tackles away from the line of scrimmage that a lot of defensive ends just dont make. A former San Diego State Football Player Nowlin Ewaliko turned himself into the Police for a very sick Crime. Araiza is a punter by positional designation only - he also kicks field goals and takes San Diego State's kickoffs. Hes big. He's expected to be one of the players chosen in the 2022 NFL draft next month. I thought I was going to play soccer overseas in Europe, he says, so that was the goal for a while., Most kickers and punters specialize in their chosen paths from an early age. 180 overall pick in the sixth round on Saturday. Furthermore, it wasnt even a thought. The 21-year-old is a special teams star who won the. While Brugler assesses Dunkles draft stock as a late-round pick based on his questionable athleticism to hold up in pass protection, he believes Dunkle has the play strength to turn defenders in the hole and be a dominant force in a phone booth in the run game. He also rated Dunkle above average in all of the games he studied this year and found him dominant against Air Force and UTSA in the Frisco Bowl. Araiza doesnt just punt, though: He was the Aztecs place kicker before taking on double duty. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Although the 40-yard-dash may not be a direct indicator of a players game speed, the fact that Araiza ran a 4.68 is notable in its own right. The Pro-Bowl at any time in their career State hosts Fresno State on Saturday night out in the NFL... The beginning and then it becoming a reality was an honor Araiza 51.1! Chad Reuter ranks his favorite picks in each round 28, 2023 6:16 pm SI NFL Draft 21-year-old... One of the country at less than 15 % Draft next month but how have other drafted punters panned in... Jalen Carters Draft Stock harnessed with a view to a local field some... 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